Great story but not a great movie due largely to the limitations of being made in 1939.

Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier’s chemistry is so strong that not only do they meticulously convey the feeling of being in love, but they also make it feel as realistic as if it were in real life, even as if the audience was feeling it. Only Jean Arthur and Charles Boyer had come close to a chemistry like this in History Is Made at Night (1937). Once that feeling is established, that’s where the magic of the rest of the movie happens. So one has to feel it to understand the strength of the story, regardless of having had read the book or not. And it’s no surprise that above all, Wuthering Heights won an Academy Award for its cinematography.

Never read the book but damned that’s actually a decent plot for a period piece and the film was excellent with a stellar cast all putting in good turns. Watched on Amazon Prime.

As a lover of the book this movie wasn't great. Entirely deleting 3 main characters, taking many liberties with the story and creating brand new plot devices instead of those from the books is maddening. Heathcliff slapping Cathy (oh my god) and Cathy not being elated at his return grieved me the most. Having said all of that, the film making was impeccable and the for the most part the casting was good. If you look at the movie to stand alone from the book then it worth the watch. Knowing the story as well as I do though, it is really quite distracting.

One of my all-time favorite movies since I was a little girl. My Grandmother was a big movie buff and introduced me to so many classics that are forever embedded into how I gauge and interpret films. It also made me want to act at a young age. Everyone's performance in this was so believable and full of every emotion needed to be perceived in each scene. The father's love but detachment, her brother's depression, her confusion and war of emotions within herself. Societal issues and more.... If you haven't watched this original yet, get to it. It's a story you will not forget.

Bronte's story is not one of my favorites, but this is an excellent production, although because they cut out the second half of the book the ending feels rather rushed.

A romantic classic that intrigues unconventionally, and subtly mysteriously in post-thought realization within the connective theming that was narratively forewarned, as director William Wyler sympathizes with the source material than just adapting a timeless tale of wealth soulful corruption imprinting cursedly and haunted love resisting the truest notion by mutual guilt. Unique, unexpected resonance from this picture that defies expectations thanks to the cast's exceptional performances bringing the brilliantly written script to something inspirationally Shakespearean by tonal deliverance. (B+)

First off, there's an awful lot of very shaky camerawork in this film, so if that annoys you then I'd recommend you stay clear of this film. Not just that but also a lot is filmed in darkness or otherwise low light - I imagine it was written that scenes occur in the dark and some may say that makes it atmospheric but it also adds to a sort of disorientating feel. Its a sad story, of course and the film doesn't shy away from the harshness, so there is violence, scenes of torture (although I wouldn't say there's excessive graphic depictions, its mostly implied but all the same, it doesn't leave too much to the imagination) etc. Its a somewhat moody film, as it should be given the story I guess but suffice to say it didn't overly appeal to me. I felt a bit confused about some plot aspects. I know its more famous as a classic novel/classic literature and suffice to say I haven't read the novel but I didn't find myself entirely intrigued or moved by this film really. I did think it was perhaps surprising how much of a rebel the Heathcliff character was, given the time its set in but then maybe thats unfair of me to think that?. This isn't an especially bad film but you'd have to be in the right mood for it and even then, you may not fully grasp the intricacies of the plot, which would be a shame, so I don't entirely rate this. I'd only recommend this if your familiar with the full story and you feel particularly keen to watch it, then it may be worth seeing, otherwise not so much.

I cannot believe I did not review this magnificent movie previously. The classical masterpiece of Wuthering Heights introduces us to one of the most tragic, passionate and compelling romances of all time. We cannot fully understand how the period and the remote landscape influenced the author to create such a tumultuous tale, but we certainly become enthralled to the addiction of emotions that all the people display as they struggle to find their ways in life. Emily Bronte's characters of Heathcliff and Cathy are brilliantly and memorably brought to life by Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon. The setting, the storyline and the supporting characters are all well done, but it is the acting between these two main characters that transports us into the realm of unrequited and savage love. You can certainly believe that ghosts and hauntings are completely expected and perfectly a part of such undying rapture. The movie may differ a bit from the book, but the theme that wild hearts cannot be tamed, and devotion conquers death haunt us forevermore. Truly one of the most powerful and brilliant love stories of all time!

If it weren't for Gregg Toland, there would be no CITIZEN KANE or THE LITTLE FOXES. With his unique, acute, textured treatments of light and shadow which transcend well beyond the black and white media, he creates palpable tableaux in which characters meet, interact, and pave the way for these timeless stories. Needless to say, he is the true star of William Wyler's WUTHERING HEIGHTS. In bringing such attention to detail, Emily Bronte's classic novel becomes a living, breathing creation drenched in the Gothic atmosphere that was its very raison d'etre. A rare thing, indeed. The story is well-known. A traveller named Lockwood comes upon this dark house and is given shelter and care by the housekeeper, Ellen Dean. During his stay there she discloses the tragic events which have taken place in Wuthering Heights. It so happens that the place was owned by a Mr. Earnshaw, who brought a young gypsy boy, Heathcliff, to the house to live with his family comprised of his son and daughter, Hindley and Catherine. While Hindley takes an immediate dislike to Heathcliff, Catherine reacts as a friend and both form a fateful bond that turns into an explosive, untamed love which is tied to the moors itself. However, she is slated to marry Edgar Linton and cannot see herself wed to Heathcliff, who leaves Wuthering Heights. Later on he returns, now a wealthy man, buys the Heights from Hindley, marries Edgar's sister Isabella, and systematically ruins both his, his wife's, and Catherine's lives. Wyler's adaptation of the novel stops midway from the entire story and decides to focus on the first generation. In doing so, I think, it somehow dilutes the fact that love can conquer time, but even so, it's a minor complaint. Laurence Olivier is Heathcliff from head to toe. Merle Oberon falters a bit -- while full of the dark looks that Catherine most likely is thought of she lacks some life within her. Vivien Leigh would have brought much needed rebelliousness and emotional gravitas to the role. Understated, but effective, is Geraldine Fitzgerald who was Oscar nominated for her performance as Isabella. The last scene, featuring Cathy and Heathcliff, reunited, walking hand in hand across the moors, is the one terrible spot -- hokey and lame. Even so, this is the adaptation that time has considered to be the closest to the novel in essence, as subsequent versions have been made, all with varying results.

THE BEST RENDITION STILL- BY FAR!

This adaptation of the classic Brontë novel may promote the soporific soap opera elements of the narrative at the expense of the darker, more compelling vitriol and jealousy (omitting the second half of the novel certainly doesn't help in that regard), but enough of the latter comes through with Olivier's somewhat out-of-character performance to create a classic. The acting and cinematography certainly make up for many of the inherent limitations of the script translated from the novel, or some of the film traditions of the time - the rich girl/poor boy childhood friends, or characters turning to leave only to be stopped by some impactful dialogue. (4/5)

One of the greatest movies ever, William Wyler's Wuthering Heights includes Laurence Olivier's greatest performance.

AFI 100 Greatest Films - #73: I somehow never managed to read any Bronte sisters, or Austen who I always confuse them with, so have no context on how well the film relates to the source material. Aside from Olivier and Oberon fully embracing the two leads, the cinematography was what I found most impressive in both scope, for that time period, as well as in the added tension and emotion it brought out in a decent script. Probably could go 8/10 after nailing the ending and I feel I generally inflate these AFI ratings as I recognize the contribution these pictures have made to film in a greater sense, while maybe not remaining as relevant or watchable today. 7.5*/10

The story is still nothing special and overly dramatic.

One of the greatest films of all time!

1939 film version of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights novel. A love story, brought to the screen on numerous occasions over the years. However, this version has an excellent cast and direction by William Wyler. Heathcliff (Laurence Olivier) and Cathy (Merle Oberon) are the couple that share their love throughout. The film is an early example of a rom-com without the comedy! A romance I suppose. Young couple have romantic feelings, young couple are separated and are briefly rekindled at the end as Heathcliff holds a dying Cathy in his arms. The Yorkshire moors are the backdrop of the story, Wuthering Heights an old, forbidding house on the Moors. Surely Hollywood can produce a big budget film of the story?

"Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same" A classic romantic period drama movie from 1939 directed by William Wyler and produced by Samuel Goldwyn. "Wuthering Heights" is an American movie based on the novel Wuthering Heights written by Emily Brontë. She wrote the book and published it in 1847 under a male pseudonym, as it wasn't yet normal for women to write books. A film that should be watched by any romantic movie fanatic, because it tells a pure love story that will make you emotional. The movie tells a story of a young lady named Catherine Earnshaw Linton and a young gypsy man named Heathcliff. As the story goes on the two spend a lot of time together and the love between them grows. At a point Catherine chooses to marry the rich neighbor and because of that Heathcliff leaves and goes to America. After months Heathcliff returns as a rich man and buys Wuthering Heights. When hearing the news that Heathcliff returned Cathy immediately feels the sparkle between them, but can't do anything about it, because of her marriage with the neighbor Edgar Linton. The heartbroken Cathy soon becomes gravely ill. And Heathcliff wants to see her before something happens to her. This film was nominated for eight Academy Awards: Best Cinematography (Black-and-white), Best Picture, Best Actor in Leading Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Director, Best Writing (Screenplay), Best Art Direction and Best Music (Original Score). The movie won the award for the Best Cinematography in the category black-and-white. I personally think it should have won more awards, for example the award for Best Director. The film was filmed beautifully in a very romantic, dark, pure way. In my modest opinion the film was really good. You could say it's a typical love story, but there was something about it that made it special and different. I do think the story could be seen as cliché for these days. A couple that falls in love and something big happens causing their relationship to break, but if you think about the time the story was written than you can realize it was something new in that time. In the time Emily wrote the story it wasn't normal to talk about relationships between white girls with for example gypsy boys. The story was something completely new, something nobody has ever written about. The love story was also pure and that's what made it so good. The fact that their love was told in a very romantic way and that they didn't overuse kissing scenes. The roles in the movie were played very well. I liked the emotions that were visible on the faces of all the characters. Only Heathcliff didn't really show his emotions, but that fitted his character. I think that if he would show his emotions his character would lose a mysterious aspect that's very needed in the story. In contrast to Heathcliff's emotions, the emotions of Cathy were very visible. And that suited her, because she had a very vulnerable character in my eyes. In general Wuthering Heights is a movie I would recommend any romantic movie fanatic. It's a well-substantiated film with really good actors and a beautiful storyline.

For me it was difficult to imagine a time when Laurence Olivier was not considered one of the greatest and most respected actors of all time. Yet in 1939 he was a relative unknown in America and had not yet established himself as a film star. Fortunately his performance in this film showed off all of his talent and considerable magnetism which made him an immediate star and enabled him to go on and make classics such as Rebecca (1940), The Entertainer (1960) and Hamlet (1948). He is the primary reason to watch the film as he presents the audience with the definitive interpretation of Heathcliff and while almost everything around him pales in comparison he is enough to make the film an essential viewing experience. As a child abused orphan Heathcliff, Laurence Olivier, is found by the wealthy Mr. Earnshaw, Cecil Kellaway, and brought to live with him and his family at their house on the Yorkshire moors. He immediately connects with his new sister Cathy, Merle Oberon, whom he declares his queen while the two spend time at Peniston Craig. When he grows up he is treated as a stable boy by his adopted brother Hindley, Hugh Williams, while Cathy is pursued by rich neighbor Edgar Linton, David Niven. She still pines for Heathcliff but society dictates that she marry somebody of her own class and Heathcliff attempts to move on from her by marrying Linton's sister Isabella, Geraldine Fitzgerald. The two are miserable while they are separated but when Cathy falls ill Heathcliff returns to her and they declare their undying love for one another despite their marriages to other people. For the rest of his life Heathcliff is haunted by the ghost of Cathy and can only be happy when he occasionally sees her out at Peniston Craig. The biggest issue with the film is the central performance of Oberon who is not only blown off the screen by Olivier but who fails to register at all as a compelling screen presence. Throughout the film almost every character speaks of her reverentially as "Cathy" is said so many times by those who are close to her that you expect a figure worthy of that awe and Oberon serves as a real disappointment in this regard. Cathy is a character with a fair amount of depth to her as it would be a challenge for any actress to make her likable and allow the audience to understand why she makes the decisions she makes. A better performance would have given the sense of a woman who has been cut down her entire life and who has never really had her own voice due to the restrictions of society. Oberon simply comes across as selfish and self absorbed as she hopes to keep Heathcliff in her thrall to serve her own ego while being all woe is me about her life decisions. Joan Bennett or Miriam Hopkins would have filled out this role better as they both excelled at playing tortured woman who carried huge amounts of regret with them for the decisions they had made. As a whole I must state that I am not necessarily in love with this story as although I can see why it would be appealing to some I have never been one to love brooding, angry men who self sabotage. The story is one of many that presents an odd female fantasy of being able to ‘fix' a man and falling in love with a person who is treated poorly by everybody else. This story supports the idea of being a savior of sorts and of being an angelic figure in the face of all of the monsters around you. Of course it helps that the man that you save will probably be incredibly handsome and spout lyrical poems at you all the time telling you how much he loves you and how the other man in your life simply doesn't deserve you. I have always been annoyed by the idea of a woman who needs a man to assert her interests for her, this often happens in romance films, and women who deny their own desires for seemingly no reason. The influence of the class system and the difficulties of breaking out of it would have been the reasons in this case but they were never developed enough for me to care. All of this falls away in the face of Olivier's bravura performance as he totally embodies his character in what is an admittedly theatrical but spellbinding performance. In his opening scenes his utter devotion and beguilement with Cathy was believable but the shadows that pass over his face when he encounters the other members of his family inform us of how wounded and damaged he really is. What I really admired him for was his line delivery as he is given ridiculous, flowery dialogue to work with and delivers it to perfection as his theatrics suit the language he is working with and his abilities to incorporate physicality into his big monologues mean that you cannot look away. He makes up for a lack of chemistry with Oberon by stealing every scene he shares with her and always adding a subtext of anger and frustration to his stolen moments with her. He earned his Academy Award nomination completely and if not for Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind (1939) he would have been an easy choice for winner.

The only classic out of heaps of adaptations of Wuthering Heights. It is far too polished and beautiful to fully convey the coarse passion and wild love of the epic novel. Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon are how I will always picture Heathcliff and Cathy. His dark smouldering handsomeness is perfect, but he does lack the animal rage that is part of Heathcliff's character - remember none of these characters is entirely likeable. A well-done film of the time and tells the more often told half of the story well.